Rectifier circuit and radio communication device

ABSTRACT

A rectifier circuit includes a bias circuit that outputs a direct-current voltage; a first MOS transistor that has a gate and a source; and a second MOS transistor that has a gate, a source, and a drain connected to the source of the first MOS transistor. Only the direct-current voltage is applied between the gate and the source of the first MOS transistor, and only the direct-current voltage being applied between the gate and the source of the second MOS transistor. The rectifier circuit also includes a coupling capacitor that has a first end which is connected to the source of the first MOS transistor, and a second end to which an alternating-current signal is input.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromthe prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-180164, filed on Jun. 17,2004; and Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-152990, filed on May 25,2005, the entire contents of both of which are incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a rectifier circuit and a radiocommunication device including the rectifier circuit.

2. Description of the Related Art

A rectifier circuits converts alternating-current (AC) intodirect-current (DC) through the rectification of diodes. The rectifiercircuit, when is provided as a semiconductor integrated circuit, employsa diode-connected MOS transistor whose source and gate are connected toeach other, as a diode. For example, when an NMOS transistor isolatedfrom a substrate through a triple well is used as a diode, its drain andsource are connected to an n-well and the source is also connected to abackgate connected to a p-well located at the bottom of the transistor.This diode functions in a PN junction formed between the source anddrain.

A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, which is categorized as acommunication device and is recently watched because of its wideapplication, requires the rectifier circuit. The RFID tag generates thedirect-current power-supply voltage for driving the integrated circuitin the RFID tag and demodulates data signals, from analternating-current induced in a loop antenna. The voltage generationand demodulation require the rectifier circuit.

Such a rectifier circuit used in the RFID tag is proposed in, forexample, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-152080 and M.Usami et al., “Powder LSI: An ultra small RF identification chip forindividual recognition applications”, ISSCC Dig. Tech. Papers, February2003, pp. 398-399.

However, to perform rectification of the diode, a voltage not less thanthe threshold (approximately 0.7 V) of the MOS transistor must beapplied across the PN junction, i.e., across the source and drain.Therefore, conventional rectifier circuits cannot rectify the AC signalwith an root-mean-square value less than the threshold. This means thatthe RFID tag cannot receive a weak signal transmitted by areader/writer. Actually, such limitation of receivable signal powerrestricts the distance that the RFID tag can communicate with thereader/writer, to approximately 30 cm. This distance requires approachto the reader/writer of persons carrying the RFID tag or the RFID tagattached items, so that convenience is reduced. This distance also makesone reader/writer difficult to detect plural RFID tags simultaneously,and restricts the application range of the RFID tag.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, a rectifier circuitincludes a bias circuit that outputs a direct-current voltage; a firstMOS transistor that has a gate and a source; and a second MOS transistorthat has a gate, a source, and a drain connected to the source of thefirst MOS transistor. Only the direct-current voltage is applied betweenthe gate and the source of the first MOS transistor, and only thedirect-current voltage being applied between the gate and the source ofthe second MOS transistor. The rectifier circuit also includes acoupling capacitor that has a first end which is connected to the sourceof the first MOS transistor, and a second end to which analternating-current signal is input.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a rectifiercircuit includes a first floating-gate transistor that has a controlgate and a source which are connected to each other, a drain, and afirst floating gate which holds a predetermined potential; a secondfloating-gate transistor that has a control gate and a source which areconnected to each other, a drain which is connected to the source of thefirst floating-gate transistor, and a second floating gate which holds apredetermined potential; and a coupling capacitor that has a first endwhich is connected to the source of the first floating-gate transistor,and a second end to which an alternating-current signal is input.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, a radiocommunication device includes a loop antenna; the rectifier circuitaccording to the present invention; a memory that stores tagidentification information; and a signal processing circuit thattransmits and receives the tag identification information through theloop antenna based on a direct current rectified by the rectifiercircuit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a part of a rectifier circuit accordingto a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of an example of a bias circuit;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the rectifier circuit according to thefirst embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of a clock generator circuit used in therectifier circuit according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a timing chart of the clock generator circuit of the rectifiercircuit according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of an example of a DC generator circuit;

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of another example of the DC generatorcircuit;

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram of a part of a rectifier circuit accordingto a second embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram of a rectifier circuit according to a thirdembodiment;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a DC voltage source of the rectifiercircuit according to the third embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram of a boost circuit of the DC voltagesource;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart of control of a floating gate;

FIG. 13 is a flow chart of a charge amount detection process;

FIG. 14 is a flow chart of operation of a current detecting mode in theDC voltage source;

FIG. 15 is a flow chart of a charge amount setting process;

FIG. 16 is a flow chart of operation of a voltage setting mode in the DCvoltage source;

FIG. 17 is a circuit diagram of a rectifier circuit according to afourth embodiment;

FIG. 18 is a circuit diagram of a rectifier circuit according to a fifthembodiment;

FIG. 19 is a block diagram of an RFID tag according to a sixthembodiment;

FIG. 20 is a graph where rectification properties of the RFID tagaccording to the sixth embodiment (solid line) and of a conventionalRFID tag (broken line) are shown; and

FIG. 21 is a block diagram of another RFID tag according to the sixthembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of a rectifier circuit and a radio communicationdevice including the RFID tag according to the present invention will bedescribed in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.In particular, an RFID tag will be exemplified as an example of theradio communication device.

A rectifier circuit according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention includes a diode-connected MOS transistor where a constantvoltage is applied between its source and gate. In particular, theconstant voltage is less than a threshold required for rectification inthe MOS transistor, preferably a voltage value near the threshold.

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a part of a rectifier circuit(hereinafter referred to as “diode circuit”) according to a firstembodiment. The diode circuit shown in FIG. 1 includes an NMOStransistor M1 whose backgate and source which are connected to eachother, and whose drain is connected to a positive terminal T1. The diodecircuit also includes a bias circuit 10 a connected between the sourceand a gate of the NMOS transistor M1. The bias circuit 10 a generates apredetermined voltage. Such a connection makes the NMOS transistor M1function as a diode with a PN junction on the drain side. The biascircuit 10 a applies the predetermined voltage between the gate and thesource of the NMOS transistor M1. Specifically, the bias circuit 10 agenerates as the predetermined voltage a voltage (hereinafter referredto as “diode bias voltage”) less than a threshold required for therectification in the NMOS transistor M1. The diode bias voltage ranges,for example, from 0 to 1.0 voltages, is preferably a value near thethreshold, e.g., 0.6V. In other words, the NMOS transistor M1 is biasedwith the diode bias voltage between the gate and source to rectify an ACsignal with a root-mean-square value not more than the thresholdvoltage. The diode circuit can rectify, when the diode bias voltage is0.6 V for example, an AC signal with a root-mean-square value ofapproximately 100 mV.

The diode circuit further includes an NMOS transistor M2 whose backgateand source are connected to each other. The source of the NMOStransistor M2 is connected to a negative terminal T2. A bias circuit 10b is connected between the gate and the source of the NMOS transistorM2. The NMOS transistor M2 also has the same function as that of theNMOS transistor M1, and is biased with the diode bias voltage betweenits gate and source through the bias circuit 10 b.

The source of the NMOS transistor M1 and the drain of the NMOStransistor M2 are connected to each other, and a line connecting them isconnected to one end of a capacitor C1. The other end of the capacitorC1 is connected to a signal input terminal TA. This capacitor C1functions as a coupling capacitor. The capacitor C1, when the rectifiercircuit according to this embodiment is used in the RFID tag, isconnected to the loop antenna, and functions as a series resonancecapacitor.

A capacitor C2 is connected between the drain of the NMOS transistor M1and the source of the NMOS transistor M2. The signal half-wave rectifiedby the NMOS transistors M1 and M2 is smooth through the capacitor C2.This smoothing allows the output of a direct-current voltage from bothends of the capacitor C2, that is, between the positive terminal T1 andthe negative terminal T2.

The NMOS transistors M1 and M2 are formed to have a triple wellstructure, and are isolated from a substrate. Therefore, each source isconnected to a p-well located at the bottom of the NMOS transistor, andeach drain is connected to an n-well. The diode is formed as a PNjunction in each MOS transistor.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of an example of the bias circuit 10 a or 10b. A bias circuit 100 shown in FIG. 2 corresponds to the bias circuit 10a or 10 b. The bias circuit 100 includes two NMOS transistors M11 andM12 connected in series. Each of the NMOS transistors M11 and M12functions as a transfer gate, and is arranged on a positive line L1. Thebias circuit 100 further includes two NMOS transistors M21 and M22 whichare connected in series on a negative line L2 and which function astransfer gates, respectively. The gates of the NMOS transistors M11 andM21 are connected to each other, and the gates of the NMOS transistorsM12 and M22 are connected to each other. A capacitor C11 is connectedbetween a line connecting the drain of the NMOS transistor M11 to thesource of the NMOS transistor M12 and a line connecting the drain of theNMOS transistor M21 to the source of the NMOS transistor M22. Acapacitor C12 is connected between the drain of the NMOS transistor M12and the drain of the NMOS transistor M22.

The bias circuit 100 is connected with an inverter INV1, an inverterINV2, and a DC generator circuit 110, which are peripheral circuits. TheDC generator circuit 110 generates a DC voltage corresponding to thediode bias voltage from a main power voltage supplied to the rectifiercircuit according to this embodiment. This DC generator circuit 110 willbe described in detail later. The DC voltage generated by the DCgenerator circuit 110 is applied between the positive line L1 and thenegative line L2 of the bias circuit 100. Since the NMOS transistor M10,which represents the NMOS transistors M1 and M2 shown in FIG. 1,operates at high frequencies, e.g., several GHz order, the parasiticcapacitance in the NMOS transistor M10 should be reduced as much aspossible. The DC generator circuit 110 has a high capacitance togenerate a stable DC voltage. Therefore, the bias circuit 100 as shownin FIG. 2 is provided, so that the diode bias voltage output from the DCgenerator circuit 110 is not directly applied between the gate andsource of the NMOS transistor M10.

The input terminal of the inverter INV1 is connected to a clock inputterminal TC, and receives clock pulses with a predetermined frequency.The clock pulses, for example, are generated by a clock generatorcircuit, which is described later. The output terminal of the inverterINV1 is connected to each gate of the NMOS transistors M11 and M21, andthe input terminal of the inverter INV2. The output terminal of theinverter INV2 is connected to each gate of the NMOS transistors M12 andM22.

When the clock pulse input from the clock input terminal TC is a logic“low”, the inverter INV1 outputs a logic “high” and the inverter INV2outputs a logic “low”. Therefore, the NMOS transistors M11 and M21 areturned on, and the capacitor C11 is charged with the DC voltage suppliedfrom the DC generator circuit 110. Moreover, the NMOS transistors M12and M22 are turned off, and no DC voltage is applied to the capacitorC12.

When the clock pulse input from the clock input terminal TC is a logic“high”, the inverter INV1 outputs a logic “low” and the inverter INV2outputs a logic “high”. Therefore, the NMOS transistors M11 and M21 areturned off, and the NMOS transistors M12 and M22 are turned on, so thatthe electric charge charged in the capacitor C11 is supplied to thecapacitor C12. Since both ends of the capacitor C12 are connected to theoutput terminals of the bias circuit 100, the voltage at these ends ofthe capacitor C12 is applied between the gate and source of the NMOStransistor M10 diode-connected, as a diode bias voltage.

Eventually, it is only necessary that the voltage at both ends of thecapacitor C12 be the diode bias voltage of the NMOS transistor M10. TheDC voltage supplied from the DC generator circuit 110 may be the same asthe diode bias voltage. For example, the voltage of the capacitor C12can be fixed to any value by switching the NMOS transistors M11, M12,M21, and M22 using pulse wide modulation (PWM) control. In this case, amain power source may be connected between the positive line L1 and thenegative line L2 without the DC generator circuit 110.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the rectifier circuit according to thefirst embodiment. The rectifier circuit 120 shown in FIG. 3 is a circuitthat the bias circuit 100 and the peripheral circuit (the DC generatorcircuit 110, and the inverters INV1 and INV2) shown in FIG. 2 areapplied to the diode circuit shown in FIG. 1. Each of bias circuits 100a and 100 b shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to the bias circuit 100 shown inFIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the NMOS transistors M1 and M2 each of whichis diode-connected needs the bias circuit 100 shown in FIG. 2. The DCgenerator circuit 110 and the inverters INV1 and INV2, which are theperipheral circuits, are shared by the bias circuits 100 a and 100 b.

Though the diode circuit as described above are formed by the twodiode-connected NMOS transistors, two diode-connected PMOS transistorsmay be used instead. In addition, the transfer gates constituting thebias circuit 100, which are NMOS transistors as described above, may beNMOS transistors. The NMOS transistors M12 and M22 shown in FIG. 2 maybe replaced with PMOS transistors without the inverter INV2.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of the clock generator circuit 130 whichgenerates the clock pulses input to the clock input terminal TC of therectifier circuit 120. The clock generator circuit 130 includes a dummyrectification block, a dummy switching block, and a differentialamplifier 310. The dummy rectification block is a partially-duplicatedcircuit of the rectification block of the rectifier circuit 120,includes an NMOS transistor Md5 having the same shape as that of theNMOS transistor M1 or M2. The backgate and source of the NMOS transistorMd5 are connected to each other. The source and drain of the NMOStransistor Md5 are connected to a negative terminal, and has a potentialV3. A capacitor Cd2 is connected between the gate and source of the NMOStransistor Md5. Specifically, the dummy rectification block imitates oneof rectifying devices which constitutes the rectification block of therectifier circuit 120.

The dummy switching block includes NMOS transistors Md1 to Md4,capacitors Cd1 and Cd2, and inverters INV11 and INV12. The connection ofthe NMOS transistors Md1 to Md4, and the capacitors Cd1 and Cd2 is thesame as that of the switching block of the bias circuit 100 a or 100 bof the rectifier circuit 200.

Specifically, each of the NMOS transistors Md1 and Md2 functions as atransfer gate, and is arranged on a positive line. Each of the NMOStransistors M11 and M12 which are connected in series functions as atransfer gate, and is arranged on a negative line. The gate of the NMOStransistor Md1 and the gate of the NMOS transistor Md3 are bothconnected to the output terminal of the inverter INV12. The inputterminal of the inverter INV12 is connected to the output terminal ofthe inverter INV11. The gate of the NMOS transistor Md2 and the gate ofthe NMOS transistor Md4 are both connected to the output terminal of theinverter INV11. A capacitor Cd1 is connected between a line connectingthe drain of the NMOS transistor Md1 to the source of the NMOStransistor Md2 and a line connecting the drain of the NMOS transistorMd3 to the source of the NMOS transistor Md4. A capacitor Cd2 isconnected between the drain of the NMOS transistor Md2 and the drain ofthe NMOS transistor Md4.

The source of the NMOS transistor Md1 and the source of the NMOStransistor Md3 are connected to a positive terminal and a negativeterminal of the DC generator circuit 110 respectively, as that in thebias circuit 100 shown in FIG. 2. The differential amplifier location310 amplifies a difference voltage between the voltage across both endsof the capacitor Cd2 and a reference voltage by an appropriate gain tooutput a base clock voltage V_(E). The reference voltage is representedas a voltage V_(T)-V_(X) where V_(T) is a DC voltage supplied from theDC generator circuit 110 and V_(X) is, for example, 50 mV. In otherwords, the differential amplifier 310 monitors the voltage of thecapacitor Cd2 to generate the base clock voltage V_(E).

The output terminal of the differential amplifier 310 is connected tothe input terminal of the inverter INV11. The output terminal of theinverter INV11 is connected to the output terminal BC of the clockgenerator circuit 130. The output terminal BC is connected to the clockinput terminal TC of the rectifier circuit 120. As a result, when thebase clock voltage V_(E) output from the differential amplifier 310reaches not less than a predetermined level, and when the base clockvoltage V_(E) drops to less than a predetermined level, the inverterINV1 outputs a logic “high”.

FIG. 5 is a timing chart of a potential V₀ at one end of the capacitorCd2, the difference voltage V_(E) output from the differential amplifier310, a output potential V₁ of the inverter INV11, and a output potentialV₂ of the inverter INV12.

The differential amplifier 310 outputs the positive difference voltageV_(E) saturated to a predetermined value during a time period that thepotential V₀ is more than the reference voltage V_(T)-V_(X), i.e., untiltime t₀ (the first phase). This positive difference voltage V_(E) is alogic “high” for the inverter INV11. Accordingly, during the timeperiod, the output potential V₁ of the inverter INV11 is a logic “low”and the output potential V₂ of the inverter INV12 is a logic “high”. Asa result, the NMOS transistors Md1 and Md3 are turned on, and the DCvoltage V_(T) of the DC generator circuit 110 is applied to thecapacitor Cd1.

Since the capacitor Cd2 is discharged through leakage current of theNMOS transistor Md5, the potential V₀ decreases gradually and finallybecomes smaller than the reference voltage V_(T)-V_(X) (the secondphase). Specifically, the difference voltage V_(E) output from thedifferential amplifier 310 decreases gradually from the positivesaturated level, and finally becomes an input signal of a logic “low”for the inverter INV11 (time t₁: the third phase). As a result, theoutput potential V₁ of the inverter INV11 becomes a logic “high”, andthe output potential V₂ of the inverter INV12 becomes a logic “low”.Moreover, the NMOS transistors Md2 and Md4 are turned on, and theelectric charge on the capacitor Cd1 is applied to the capacitor Cd2.Specifically, the potential V₀ of the capacitor Cd2 is almost equal tothe potential V_(T) more than the reference voltage V_(T)-V_(X), andenters the first phase. After that, the first to third phases arerepeated.

The output potential V₁ is a pulse generated periodically during thephase repetition. The rectifier circuit 120 accepts this outputpotential V₁ as a clock pulse. In particular, since the clock generatorcircuit 130 imitates a part of the rectifier circuit 120, the clockpulse is output at the best timing for efficiently charging thecapacitors (corresponding to the capacitors C11 and C12 in FIG. 2) inthe bias circuit 100 a or 100 b of the rectifier circuit 120. Therefore,the NMOS transistors M1 and M2, which constitutes the rectifying block,are always biased with a voltage more than a predetermined level, andthe gain of the rectifier circuit 120 is always maintained more than apredetermined value.

PMOS transistors may be used as the MOS transistors used for the clockgenerator circuit 130.

The rectifier circuit 120 and the clock generator circuit 130 both usethe constant DC voltage supplied from the DC generator circuit 110.There is a possibility that this DC voltage does not indicate a desiredvalue because of the manufacturing difference of the electronic deviceswhich constitute the DC generator circuit 110. However, the DC generatorcircuit 110 according to this embodiment can generate the DC voltagethat does not depend on such a manufacturing difference.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of an example of the DC generator circuit110. The DC generator circuit 110 a shown in FIG. 6 includes an NMOStransistor M101 whose gate and drain are connected to each other, and aconstant-current source 111 that generates a constant-current from apower supply voltage V_(DD). The output terminal of the constant-currentsource 111 and the drain of the NMOS transistor M101 are connected toeach other through a switch SW. The source of the NMOS transistor M101is grounded. The voltage between the gate and source of the NMOStransistor M101 corresponds to the DC voltage V_(T) output from the DCgenerator circuit 110 a.

When the switch SW is on, a constant-current is supplied from theconstant-current source 111 to the NMOS transistor M101. The NMOStransistor M101 generates a voltage between the gate and sourceaccording to the constant-current. When the current supplied from theconstant-current source 111 is a very low, for example, not more than 1μA, the NMOS transistor M101 is in the state of the boundary of on andoff. Specifically, the voltage between the gate and source of the NMOStransistor M101 is almost equal to the threshold voltage. This is on thebasis of the theory that in general the characteristic of a MOStransistor is represented by I_(D)=β(V_(GS)−V_(th))², and the lowcurrent ID makes the voltage V_(GS) between the gate and source almostequal to the threshold voltage V_(th). Therefore, this voltage can beused as the diode bias voltage of the rectifier circuit 120.

The DC generator circuit 110 a is operated intermittently by the switchSW. The switch SW is turned off to reduce the power consumption whilethe DC voltage output from the DC generator circuit 110 a is notrequired. The clock pulses output from the clock generator circuit 130can be used for the ON/OFF control of this switch SW. For example, incase that the control terminal of the switch SW is connected to theoutput terminal BC of the clock generator circuit 130 shown in FIG. 4and the switch SW is turned on for the input of a logic “low”, the DCgenerator circuit 110 a can output the DC voltage V_(T) insynchronization with the timing that each of the clock generator circuit130 and the bias circuits 100 a and 100 b requests the constant DCvoltage V_(T).

It is not necessary that the switch SW be always on during the clockpulse of a logic “high”. The switch SW may be turned on only during aspecific period of the clock pulse of a logic “high”.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of another example of the DC generatorcircuit 110. The DC generator circuit 110 b shown in FIG. 7 includes twoNMOS transistors M111 and M112, each of which has a gate and a drainconnected to each other, and the constant-current source 111 thatgenerates a constant-current as that in FIG. 6. The NMOS transistorsM111 and M112 are connected in series. The output terminal of theconstant-current source 111 and the drain of the NMOS transistor M111are connected to each other through the switch SW. The sum of thevoltage between the gate and source of the NMOS transistor M112 and thevoltage between the gate and source of the NMOS transistor M111corresponds to the DC voltage V_(T) output from the DC generator circuit110 b.

In the DC generator circuit 110 b, each threshold voltage of the NMOStransistors M111 and M112 is smaller than each threshold voltage of theNMOS transistors M1 and M2 of the rectifier circuit 120, and thethreshold voltage of the NMOS transistor Md5 of the clock generatorcircuit 130, and is a level such that the sum of the gate-sourcevoltages becomes equal to the DC voltage V_(T). Thus, even if thevoltage source which includes the MOS transistor having a thresholdlower than that of the NMOS transistors M1, M2, and Md5 is used, the DCgenerator circuit 110 a can be utilized without influence of themanufacturing difference.

The DC generator circuit 110 formed as described above is preferablyintegrated in an IC chip together with the NMOS transistors M1 and M2used in the rectifier circuit 120. In general, the differences in thethreshold voltage of the MOS transistors between lots or between wafersranges from approximately −100 mV to +100 mV. When each of the DCgenerator circuit 110 and the rectifier circuit 120 is formed in adifferent chip, there is a possibility that the threshold voltagegenerated by the DC generator circuit 110 is different from thethreshold voltage of the MOS transistor in the rectifier circuit 120 by100 mV. In contrast, the differences in the threshold voltage of the MOStransistors in the same chip ranges from approximately −10 mV to 10 mV.In this case, the difference between the threshold voltage generated bythe DC generator circuit 110 and the threshold voltage of the MOStransistor in the rectifier circuit 120 is few.

Moreover, the DC generator circuit 110 preferably uses a transistor withthe same shape as the MOS transistor (especially, the MOS transistor M1or M2 of the diode circuit) of the rectifier circuit 120. Even in caseof a transistor with a different shape, the transistor desirably has ascalable shape in a ratio of the gate width to the gate length.

According to the rectifier circuit according to the first embodiment asdescribed above, the bias circuit applies a constant voltage between thegate and source of the diode-connected MOS transistor, where theconstant voltage is less than a threshold level required forrectification of the MOS transistor, preferably near the thresholdlevel. As a result, it is possible to rectifier an AC signal with aroot-mean-square value less than the threshold level of the MOStransistor.

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram of a part of a rectifier circuit (diodecircuit) according to a second embodiment. A diode circuit shown in FIG.8 includes two stacking diode circuits, each of which corresponds to thediode circuit shown in FIG. 1. NMOS transistors M41 and M51 eachcorrespond to the NMOS transistor M1, and NMOS transistors M42 and M52each correspond to the NMOS transistor M2. Capacitors C41 and C51 eachcorrespond to the capacitor C1, and capacitors C42 and C52 eachcorrespond to the capacitor C2. Moreover, each of bias circuits 50 a, 50b, 50 c, and 50 d is the same circuit as the bias circuit 10 a or 10 bshown in FIG. 1.

A differential AC signal is input to a positive signal input terminalTA1 connected to one end of the capacitor C41 and a negative signalinput terminal TA2 connected to one end of the capacitor C51. Thesepositive signal input terminal TA1 and negative signal input terminalTA2, when the rectifier circuit according to this embodiment is used inthe RFID tag, are connected to both ends of the loop antenna,respectively.

Each of the bias circuit 50 a, 50 b, 50 c, and 50 d shown in FIG. 8corresponds to the bias circuit shown in FIG. 2 as that in the firstembodiment. The rectifier circuit using the bias circuits can have thesame structure as that shown in FIG. 3. It should be noted that therectifier circuit according to the second embodiment may have astructure that more than two diode circuits are stacked.

Therefore, the rectifier circuit according to the second embodiment hasthe same advantages as that of the rectifier circuit according to thefirst embodiment.

A rectifier circuit according to a third embodiment uses as a rectifyingdevice a floating gate field-effect transistor which is diode-connected.In particular, the floating gate is charged by a constant voltage whichis less than a threshold level required for rectification of thefloating gate field-effect transistor, preferably near the thresholdlevel.

FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram of a rectifier circuit according to a thirdembodiment. The rectifier circuit 200 shown in FIG. 9 includes afloating gate field-effect transistor M71 whose control gate and drainwhich are connected to each other, and the drain is connected to apositive terminal T71. Moreover, the floating gate of the floating gatefield-effect transistor M71 is charged by a voltage (hereinafter, diodebias voltage) required for rectification of the floating gatefield-effect transistor M71. Here, suppose that the diode bias voltageis equal to the threshold level of the floating gate field-effecttransistor M71. As a result, the threshold level of the floating gatefield-effect transistor M71 becomes essentially zero, and it is possibleto rectify all AC signals including the AC signal with aroot-mean-square value not more than the threshold level.

The rectifier circuit 200 also includes a floating gate field-effecttransistor M72 whose control gate and drain which are connected to eachother, and the drain is connected to a negative terminal T72. Thefloating gate of the floating gate field-effect transistor M72 ischarged by the diode bias voltage. This floating gate field-effecttransistor M72 as well as the floating gate field-effect transistor M71has the characteristic of rectification.

The source of the floating gate field-effect transistor M71 and thedrain of the floating gate field-effect transistor M72 are connected toeach other, and a line connecting them is connected to one end of acapacitor C71. The other end of the capacitor C71 is connected to asignal input terminal TA. This capacitor C71 functions as a couplingcapacitor. When the rectifier circuit 200 according to this embodimentis used in an RFID tag, The capacitor C71 is connected to the loopantenna, and functions as a series resonance capacitor.

A capacitor C72 is connected between the drain of the floating gatefield-effect transistor M71 and the source of the floating gatefield-effect transistor M72. The signal half-wave rectified by thefloating gate field-effect transistors M71 and M72 is smooth through thecapacitor C72. This smoothing allows the output of a DC voltage fromboth ends of the capacitor C72, that is, between the positive terminalT71 and the negative terminal T72.

In particular, the diode circuit, which includes the floating gatefield-effect transistors M71 and M72, and the capacitors C71 and C72,can rectify a weak AC signal with an amplitude of approximately 100 mV,which is difficult to rectify by conventional rectifier circuits.Therefore, an RFID tag which uses the rectifier circuit 200 can rectifya weak electric wave. In other words, the RFID tag, even when locatedaway from a base station, can carry out rectification and long distancecommunication.

The rectifier circuit 200 further includes switches SW1, SW2, and SW3, acontrol circuit 210, and DC voltage sources 220 a, 220 b, and 220 c.These components are for charge and discharge to the floating gatefield-effect transistors M71 and M72. One end of the switch SW1 isconnected to the drain of the floating gate field-effect transistor M71.The other end is connected to the output terminal of the DC voltagesource 220 a. One end of the switch SW2 is connected to the drain of thefloating gate field-effect transistor M72. The other end is connected tothe output terminal of the DC voltage source 220 b. One end of theswitch SW3 is connected to the source of the floating gate field-effecttransistor M72. The other end is connected to the output terminal of theDC voltage source 220 c. The switches SW1, SW2, and SW3 are connected tothe control circuit 210 which controls switching of the switches. The DCvoltage sources 220 a, 220 b, and 220 c are also connected to thecontrol circuit 210, sets various operation modes or the voltage to beoutput based on a control signal output from the control circuit 210.

FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram of a DC voltage source 220 of being anexample of the DC voltage sources 220 a, 220 b, and 220 c. The DCvoltage source 220 shown in FIG. 10 includes a switch SW200 that changestwo operation modes, a voltage setting mode and an current detectingmodes. The DC voltage source 220 further includes a voltmeter 221, aboost circuit 222, an ammeter 223, and a variable voltage source 224 anda control circuit 225. The voltmeter 221 and boost circuit 222 areconnected to one end of the switch SW200 for selecting the voltagesetting mode. The variable voltage source 224 is electrically connectedto the other end of the switch SW200 for selecting the current detectingmode via the ammeter 223. The control circuit 225 controls the switchSW200 and the voltages set to the boost circuit 222 and the variablevoltage source 224 based on the control signal output from the controlcircuit 210 of the rectifier circuit 200, and transmits the signalsindicating a voltage value measured by the voltmeter 221 and a currentvalue measured by the ammeter 223 to the control circuit 210.

FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram of an example of the boost circuit 200 ofthe DC voltage source 200. The boost circuit 222 shown in FIG. 11 is ageneral charge pump circuit. The charge pump circuit accepts clockpulses CK through a capacitor Cc1 connected between transistors Mc1 andMc2, and accepts clock pulses /CK of the inverse of the clock pulse CKthrough a capacitor Cc2 connected between transistors Mc2 and Mc3. Thedotted line in FIG. 11 represents the repetition of these components.The power supply voltage VDD shifts by accepting the clock pulses whilestepping up toward an output terminal V_(OUT). If the charge pumpcircuit includes n transistors, the voltage output from the outputterminal VOUT is represented by (N+1)(V_(DD)−V_(th)), where V_(th) is athreshold level of the transistors. A voltage of approximately 10 V canbe supplied for setting the potential of the floating gate by the boostcircuit 222.

The control of the floating gate of the floating gate field-effecttransistors M71 and M72 will be described below. FIG. 12 is a flow chartof control of the floating gate. The amount of the charge on eachfloating gate of the floating gate field-effect transistors M71 and M72is first detected (step S101). FIG. 13 is a flow chart of a chargeamount detection process. The control circuit 210 of the rectifiercircuit 200 transmits a control signal to each control circuit 225 ofthe DC voltage sources 220 a to 220 c prior to detecting the amount ofcharge. The control signal indicates a request for switching to thecurrent detecting mode and a voltage value to be set to each variablevoltage source 224 (steps S201 to S203). Besides, the control circuit210 of the rectifier circuit 200 turns on the switches SW1 to SW3 (stepS204).

FIG. 14 is a flow chart of operation of the current detecting mode inthe DC voltage source 220. The control circuit 225 of the DC voltagesource 220 receives the control signal from the control circuit 210 ofthe rectifier circuit 200, switches to the current detecting mode withthe switch SW200 (step S401), and sets the voltage to the variablevoltage source 224 (step S402). For example, to check the amount ofcharge on the floating gate of the floating gate field-effect transistorM71, the variable voltage source 224 of the DC voltage source 220 a isset to one volt, and the variable voltage source 224 of the DC voltagesource 220 b is set to zero volt. Next, the current value is measuredwith the ammeter 223 of each DC voltage source 220 (step S403). Thiscurrent value is actually measured after step S204.

The control circuit 210 of the rectifier circuit 200 receives eachcurrent value measured in the DC voltage sources 220 a, 220 b, and 220c, calculates a voltage V_(c) corresponding to the amount of charge fromeach current value (step S205), and turns off the switches SW1 to SW3(step S206).

After that, the control circuit 210 determines whether the calculatedvoltage V_(c) is not less than a threshold level V_(th) (step S102). Forthis determination, setting the voltage applied to the source of thefloating gate field-effect transistor to a level higher than the voltageapplied to the drain is necessary, as well as the example of setting thevoltages described above: one volt to the variable voltage source 224 ofthe DC voltage source 220 a, zero volt to the variable voltage source224 of the DC voltage source 220 b. For example, it is determined thatthe voltage V_(c) the floating gate of floating gate field-effecttransistor M71 is not less than the threshold level V_(th) of thefloating gate field-effect transistor M71 when the current flows betweenthe source and drain of the floating gate field-effect transistor M7,i.e., when the current value obtained from DC voltage source 220 a ishigh. When the voltage V_(c) is less than the threshold level V_(th),i.e., when the current value obtained from source 220 a is zero orsufficiently low (step S102: No), the floating gate of the floating gatefield-effect transistor M71 is charged (step S103). Prior to this chargesetting, a difference voltage between the voltage of the floating gateand the threshold level is calculated. This difference voltage iscalculated by repeating detecting the amount of charge as describedabove. For example, when a difference voltage between the voltage of thefloating gate of floating gate field-effect transistor M71 and itsthreshold level is calculated, the variable voltage source 224 of the DCvoltage source 220 a is set to zero volt, and the variable voltagesource 224 of the DC voltage source 220 b is set to 0.5 volt. Next, theswitches SW1 and SW2 are turned on, and the current value obtained fromthe DC voltage source 220 b is checked.

In this case, a gate voltage V_(g) applied to the channel of thefloating gate field-effect transistor M71 is represented byV_(g)=V_(f)+0.5, where V_(f) is the voltage value of the floating gate.At this state, the current value that flows through the DC voltagesource 220 b is proportional to (V_(g)−V_(th))²=(V_(f)+0.5−V_(th))².When the current value at this time is high, the variable voltage source224 of the DC voltage source 220 b is set to a level lower than 0.5volt. When the current value is zero or sufficiently low, the variablevoltage source 224 of the DC voltage source 220 b is set to a levelhigher than 0.5 volt. Thus, the difference voltage between the voltagevalue of the floating gate and the threshold level is calculated byreading the voltage value at the border of the current. Based on thisdifference voltage, a voltage to be set to the boost circuit 222 of theDC voltage source 200 is decided.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart of a charge amount setting process. The controlcircuit 210 of the rectifier circuit 200 transmits a control signal toeach control circuit 225 of the DC voltage sources 220 a to 220 c. Thecontrol signal indicates a request for switching to the voltage settingmode and a voltage value to be set to each boost circuit 222 (steps S301to S303). Besides, the control circuit 210 of the rectifier circuit 200turns on the switches SW1 to SW3 (step S304).

FIG. 16 is a flow chart of operation of the voltage setting mode in theDC voltage source 220. The control circuit 225 of the DC voltage source220 receives the control signal from the control circuit 210 of therectifier circuit 200, switches to the voltage setting mode with theswitch SW200 (step S501), and sets the voltage to the boost circuit 222(step S502). For example, to charge the floating gate of the floatinggate field-effect transistor M71, the boost circuit 222 of the DCvoltage source 220 a is set to a high voltage, and the boost circuit 222of the DC voltage source 220 b is set to zero volt. The voltage value ofthe floating gate of the floating gate field-effect transistor M71 ismeasured with the voltmeter 221 of each DC voltage source 220 (stepS503). This voltage value is actually measured after step S304.

The control circuit 210 of the rectifier circuit 200 applies a highvoltage to turns off high voltage to the floating gate of the floatinggate field-effect transistor M71 for a time Δt by using the boostcircuit 222 (step S305), following by turning off the switches SW1 toSW3 (step S306). The time Δt is defined as a time that enables thefloating gate to be charged without saturation.

When the voltage V_(c) is not less than the threshold level V_(th) atstep S102, i.e., when the current value obtained from the DC voltagesource 220 a is high (step S102: Yes), whether the voltage V_(c) is morethan the threshold level V_(th) is determined (step S104). When thevoltage V_(c) is more than the threshold level V_(th) (step S104: Yes),rectification efficiency decreases since the floating gate field-effecttransistor M71 is always on. To avoid this state, the floating gate isdischarged (step S105).

The setting of discharge can be achieved by the same process as settingof the amount of charge as shown in FIG. 15. For example, to dischargethe floating gate of the floating gate field-effect transistor M71, theboost circuit 222 of the DC voltage source 220 a is set to zero volt,and the boost circuit 222 of the DC voltage source 220 b is set to ahigh voltage, following by turning on the switches SW1 and SW2. As aresult, the electrons held in the source of the floating gatefield-effect transistor M71 is injected to the floating gate to decreasethe charge on the floating gate.

When the voltage V_(c) is not more than threshold level V_(th) at stepS104 (step S104: No), i.e., when the voltage V_(c) is equal to thethreshold level V_(th), the control of the floating gate is ended.

Though the floating gate field-effect transistor M71 is taken as afloating gate field-effect transistor, the same is for the floating gatefield-effect transistor M72. The threshold level of each floating gatefield-effect transistor may be set to a high potential. In this case, aweak radio signal cannot be rectified. In particular, when thisrectifier circuit 200 is applied to an RFID tag, only the RFID tag neara base station can be subject to the rectification operation. It is alsopossible to control the communication distance based on the amount ofcharge to the floating gate, and thus the performance of the RFID tagcan be changed in light of security, privacy, and long distancecommunication.

According to the rectifier circuit according to the third embodiment asdescribed above, a constant voltage which is less than a threshold levelrequired for rectification of the floating gate field-effect transistor,preferably near the threshold level, is held in the floating gate of thefloating gate field-effect transistor. As a result, it is possible torectifier an AC signal with a root-mean-square value less than thethreshold level of the floating gate field-effect transistor.

A rectifier circuit according to a fourth embodiment is a modificationof the rectifier circuit 200 according to the third embodiment. Inparticular, the switches SW1 to SW3, the control circuit 210, and the DCvoltage sources 220 a to 220 c are provided as external devicesdifferent from the rectifier circuit. FIG. 17 is a circuit diagram of arectifier circuit according to a fourth embodiment. In a rectifiercircuit 300 shown in FIG. 17, the same components as those in FIG. 9 arelabeled by the same reference characters, and therefore, the explanationof the components will be omitted here.

The rectifier circuit 300 includes floating gate field-effecttransistors M71 and M72, the capacitors C71 and C72, out of componentsof the rectifier circuit 200 shown in FIG. 9. The rectifier circuit 300is also provided as an IC chip, and includes an electrode pad P1connected to the drain of the floating gate field-effect transistor M71,an electrode pad P2 connected to the drain of the floating gatefield-effect transistor M71, and an electrode pad P3 connected to thesource of the floating gate filed-effect transistor M72. The electrodepads P1, P2, and P3 can be connected to respective ends of the switchesSW1, SW2, and SW3.

The rectifier circuit 300 performs control of the floating gate (seeFIG. 12) via the electrode pads P1 to P3 on the floating gates of thefloating gate field effect transistors M71 and M72 only once at factoryshipment for example. Since the floating gates are coated with aninsulating material, the charge held once does not be released for along time, thereby maintaining the same state. For example, retention ofdata stored in memory cells of EEPROM is guaranteed for at least tenyears. Therefore, the rectifier circuit according to this embodiment canbe used for several years without recharge after the floating gate ischarged once.

Specifically, the user can use the RFID tag that includes the rectifiercircuit 300 in a conventional manner and such an RFID can carry out longdistance communication after the charge is set to the floating gate onceat factory shipment.

A rectifier circuit according to a fifth embodiment is anothermodification of the rectifier circuit 200 according to the thirdembodiment. In particular, the rectifier circuit includes a capacitorconnected between the control gate and source of each of the floatinggate field-effect transistors M71 and M72, and the voltage retained inthe capacitor is controlled.

FIG. 18 is a circuit diagram of the rectifier circuit according to thefifth embodiment. In a rectifier circuit 400 shown in FIG. 18, the samecomponents as those in FIG. 9 are labeled by the same referencecharacters, and therefore, the explanation of the components will beomitted here. The rectifier circuit 400 includes a capacitor C81connected between the control gate and source of the floating gatefield-effect transistor M71, a capacitor C82 connected between thecontrol gate and source of the floating gate field-effect transistorM72, and DC voltage sources 220 d and 220 e, in addition to thecomponents of the rectifier circuit 200 shown in FIG. 9. Moreover, aswitch SW4 is connected between the control gate of the floating gatefield-effect transistor M71 and the output terminal of the DC voltagesource 220 d, and a switch SW5 is connected between the control gate ofthe floating gate field-effect transistor M72 and the output terminal ofthe DC voltage source 220 e. The DC voltage sources 220 d and 220 e, andswitches SW4 and SW5 are controlled by the control circuit 210 as wellas the other DC voltage sources 220 a to 220 c, and the switches SW4 andSW5. Each of the DC voltage sources 220 d and 220 e is the same as theDC voltage source 220 shown in FIG. 10.

According to such a configuration, various input voltages can beindividually applied to each control gate of the floating gatefield-effect transistors M71 and M72. It is possible to adjust to anylevel an input signal voltage which is necessary for turning on floatinggate field-effect transistors M71 and M72, in other words, an inputsignal voltage which is required for rectification of the floating gatefield-effect transistors M71 and M72.

A sixth embodiment is an example of a communication device using therectifier circuit according to any one of the first to fifthembodiments. In particular, an RFID tag will now be explained as anexample of the communication device. FIG. 19 is a block diagram of anRFID tag according to the sixth embodiment. An RFID tag 500 shown inFIG. 19 includes a loop antenna 510, a rectifier circuit 520 that is thesame as the rectifier circuit according to any one of the first to fifthembodiments, a backflow preventor circuit 530, a signal processingcircuit 540, a memory 550, and a battery 560 that is a secondary cell.In particular, the RFID tag 500 is operated by a power-supply voltagesupplied from the battery 560, and it is not always necessary togenerate a power-supply voltage from the rectifier circuit 200 for itsoperation. Specifically, the rectifier circuit 520, the backflowpreventor circuit 530, the signal processing circuit 540, and the memory550 are connected to a power supply line PL and a grounding line GLwhich extend from the battery 560.

The loop antenna 510 induces an alternating-current in its antenna lineaccording to magnetic flux variation generated by a reader/writer (notshown in the figure). This alternating-current is input to the signalinput terminal of the rectifier circuit 520. The rectifier circuit 520operates at the power-supply voltage supplied from the battery 560.Therefore, the DC generator circuit of the rectifier circuit 520generates a desired voltage from the power-supply voltage supplied fromthe battery 560 as well as operates at the power-supply voltage.Specifically, the diode bias voltage is always applied between the gateand source of the MOS transistor constituting the diode circuit,regardless of whether an alternating-current is supplied from the loopantenna 510 to the rectifier circuit 520. The diode bias voltage may beapplied based on an external trigger. Therefore, the rectifier circuit520 can rectify a weak alternating-current induced in the loop antenna510 with a root-mean-square value of less than approximately 0.7 V, asdescribed in the first to fifth embodiments. In other words, it ispossible to demodulate the weak data signal received by the loop antenna510. The demodulated data signal is transmitted to the signal processingcircuit 540. The DC voltage obtained by the rectifier circuit 520 issupplied to the battery 560 as an electric power for charge through thebackflow preventor circuit 530.

The signal processing circuit 540 reads out data stored in the memory550 based on the data signal received from the rectifier circuit 520 andwrites data in the memory 550. The stored data is, for example, tagidentification information. The signal processing circuit 540 includes aload modulating unit 541 connected to the loop antenna 510. The dataread out from the memory 550 is transmitted to the reader/writer bymodulating an electric current flowing in the loop antenna 510 with theload modulating unit 541. Concretely, the load modulation part 541generates a demagnetizing field in the loop antenna 510. Thedemagnetizing field makes a slight change in the current that flows inthe reader/writer's antenna. This slight change is detected by thereader/writer, and identified as a data signal. The clock generatorcircuit 130 as shown in FIG. 4 may be provided in signal processingcircuit 540 or the rectifier circuit 520.

FIG. 20 is a graph where rectification properties of the RFID tagaccording to the sixth embodiment (solid line) and of a conventionalRFID tag (broken line). The RFID tag according to this embodiment cangenerate a DC output voltage of 1.5 V even when receiving a weak ACsignal (AC input power) of −10 dBm. This signal of −10 dBm correspondsto a distance of approximately 10 m between the RFID tag and thereader/writer. The DC output voltage becomes steady at high AC inputpowers as shown in the graph by a voltage limiter in the circuit. As canbe seen from FIG. 20, the conventional RFID tag generates only a DCvoltage of 0.05 V and the rectifier no longer serves as the rectifiercircuit.

According to the RFID tag according to the sixth embodiment as describedabove, it is possible to identify a weak signal that cannot be rectifiedby the conventional RFID tag by the rectifier circuit according to anyone of the first to fifth embodiments. This means the distance betweenthe RFID tag and the reader/writer required for identification of theRFID tag is greatly expanded. As a result, the RFID system can have wideapplication. For example, one reader/writer can identify a lot of theRFID tags distributed within the range of tens to hundreds of metersalmost at the same time. Accordingly, attachment of the RFID tag allowsmanagement of pastured farm animals and finding of a stray child and awandering old person.

Moreover, since the RFID tag according to this embodiment includes thebattery, it is easy to install various input/output devices, such as atemperature sensor, a speaker, a microphone, and a light emittingdevice, in the RFID tag. Such an RFID tag has a broader application. AnRFID tag with a sensor have a structure shown in FIG. 21 for example. Inthe RFID tag 600 shown in FIG. 21, the same components as those shown inFIG. 19 are labeled by the same reference characters. The power supplysystem of an input/output device 570 included in the RFID tag 600 isconnected to a power line PL line and a grounding line GL which extendfrom the battery 560. The signal processing circuit 540 transmits andreceives signals to and from the input/output device 570. As an exampleof the input/output device 570 installed in the RFID tag, a temperaturesensor will now be explained. The temperature sensor is in sleep anddoes not use power during no transmission of signal from a reader/writer(not shown in the figure). When the signal processing circuit 540 sendsa request to the RFID tag with the temperature sensor based on a signaltransmitted by the reader/writer, the temperature sensor is activated todetect temperature and then to transmit temperature data to the signalprocessing circuit 540. This temperature data and unique data of theRFID tag are transmitted from the RFID tag to the reader/writer. Asanother operation of the temperature sensor, the signal processingcircuit 540 may send a request for output of temperature data to thetemperature sensor at given time intervals to store the temperature datain the memory 550. And, the signal processing circuit 540, whenreceiving a request from the reader/writer, transmits the storedtemperature data together with detection time data to the reader/writer.The temperature sensor may be activated by a trigger such as vibration,sound, and light to store the temperature data in the memory 550.

Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to thoseskilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects isnot limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shownand described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be madewithout departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventiveconcept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

1. A rectifier circuit comprising: a bias circuit that outputs adirect-current voltage; a first MOS transistor that has a gate and asource, only the direct-current voltage being applied between the gateand the source of the first MOS transistor; a second MOS transistor thathas a gate, a source, and a drain connected to the source of the firstMOS transistor, only the direct-current voltage being applied betweenthe gate and the source of the second MOS transistor; and a couplingcapacitor that has a first end which is connected to the source of thefirst MOS transistor, and a second end to which an alternating-currentsignal is input.
 2. The rectifier circuit according to claim 1, whereinthe first and second MOS transistors are formed to have a triple wellstructure on a semiconductor substrate.
 3. The rectifier circuitaccording to claim 1, wherein the first MOS transistor has a backgateconnected to the source of the first MOS transistor, and the second MOStransistor has a backgate connected to the source of the second MOStransistor.
 4. The rectifier circuit according to claim 1, furthercomprising a smoothing capacitor connected between the drain of thefirst MOS transistor and the source of the second MOS transistor.
 5. Therectifier circuit according to claim 1, wherein the bias circuitincludes a first bias circuit that applies the direct-current voltagebetween the gate and the source of the first MOS transistor; and asecond bias circuit that applies the direct-current voltage between thegate and the source of the second MOS transistor.
 6. The rectifiercircuit according to claim 5, further comprising a direct-currentvoltage generator circuit that generates a reference direct-currentvoltage, wherein each of the first and second bias circuits outputs thedirect-current voltage based on the reference direct-current voltage. 7.The rectifier circuit according to claim 6, wherein the first and secondMOS transistors, and the direct-current voltage generator circuit areintegrated in an integrated circuit chip, and the referencedirect-current voltage is substantially equal to a threshold level of atleast one of the first and second MOS transistors.
 8. The rectifiercircuit according to claim 7, wherein the direct-current voltagegenerator circuit includes a third MOS transistor that has a drain andsource which are connected to each other; and a constant-current sourcethat is connected to the drain of the third MOS transistor.
 9. Therectifier circuit according to claim 8, wherein the direct-currentvoltage generator circuit uses a voltage between the drain and a sourceof the third MOS transistor as the reference direct-current voltage, thevoltage between the drain and the source being generated by aconstant-current flowing between the drain and the source of the thirdMOS transistor.
 10. The rectifier circuit according to claim 8, whereinthe third MOS transistor is formed in a ratio of a gate width to a gatelength of at least one of the first and second MOS transistors.
 11. Therectifier circuit according to claim 8, wherein the direct-currentvoltage generator circuit includes a constant-current source thatsupplies a constant current; and a switching unit that is connectedbetween the constant-current source and the third MOS transistor, andthe direct-current voltage generator circuit intermittently outputs thereference direct-current voltage by the switching unit.
 12. Therectifier circuit comprising a first rectifier circuit and a secondrectifier circuit, each of which has the same structure as that of therectifier circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first and secondrectifier circuits are connected to be stacked with each other.
 13. Therectifier circuit according to claim 1, wherein the direct-currentvoltage is variable.
 14. The rectifier circuit according to claim 1,wherein the bias circuit includes a capacitor holding the direct-currentvoltage.
 15. The rectifier circuit according to claim 1, wherein thebias circuit includes a first switching unit that is connected to apredetermined voltage source; a first capacitor that holds a voltagesupplied through the first switching unit; a second switching unit thatis connected to the first capacitor, operation of the second switchingunit being complementary with operation of the first switching unit; anda second capacitor that holds a voltage supplied through the secondswitching unit, as the direct-current voltage.
 16. A rectifier circuitcomprising: a first floating-gate transistor that has a control gate anda source which are connected to each other, a drain, and a firstfloating gate which holds a predetermined potential; a secondfloating-gate transistor that has a control gate and a source which areconnected to each other, a drain which is connected to the source of thefirst floating-gate transistor, and a second floating gate which holds apredetermined potential; and a coupling capacitor that has a first endwhich is connected to the source of the first floating-gate transistor,and a second end to which an alternating-current signal is input. 17.The rectifier circuit according to claim 16, wherein a potential at thefirst floating gate is substantially equal to a threshold level of thefirst floating-gate transistor, and a potential at the second floatinggate is substantially equal to a threshold level of the secondfloating-gate transistor.
 18. The rectifier circuit according to claim16, further comprising: a first direct-current voltage source that isconnected to the drain of the first floating-gate transistor; a seconddirect-current voltage source that is connected to the drain of thesecond floating-gate transistor; a third direct-current voltage sourcethat is connected to the source of the second floating-gate transistor;and a control unit that performs charging or discharging on each of thefirst and second floating gates by controlling each output voltage ofthe first, second, and third direct-current voltage sources.
 19. A radiocommunication device comprising: a loop antenna; a rectifier circuitthat includes a bias circuit that outputs a direct-current voltage; afirst MOS transistor that has a gate and a source, only thedirect-current voltage being applied between the gate and the source ofthe first MOS transistor; a second MOS transistor that has a gate, asource, and a drain connected to the source of the first MOS transistor,only the direct-current voltage being applied between the gate and thesource of the second MOS transistor; and a coupling capacitor that has afirst end which is connected to the source of the first MOS transistor,and a second end to which an alternating-current induced in the loopantenna is input; a memory that stores tag identification information;and a signal processing circuit that transmits and receives the tagidentification information through the loop antenna based on a directcurrent rectified by the rectifier circuit.
 20. The radio communicationdevice according to claim 19, further comprising a battery that ischarged by the direct current rectified by the rectifier circuit,wherein the rectifier circuit, the memory, and the signal processingcircuit are connected to the battery.
 21. The radio communication deviceaccording to claim 20, further comprising a sensor, wherein the signalprocessing circuit transmits a signal detected by the sensor, throughthe loop antenna.
 22. The radio communication device according to claim20, further comprising an input/output device, wherein the signalprocessing circuit activates the input/output device according to asignal received through the loop antenna.